Mates
by Kanna37
Summary: Still protecting the Shikon no Tama after returning back to Sengoku Jidai three years after Naraku's death, Kagome mates Inuyasha. But he isn't the only one she loves... Threesome pairing, Sess/Kag/Inuyasha. No citrus.


**Mates**

Disclaimer: I do now own the characters of Inuyasha.

~oOo~

"Miko, there is something I must discuss with you," Sesshomaru said, trying to respect the grief he could see woven through her aura. After all, her mate had just died, and that she was functioning at all was amazing – but then, she had always been a most impressive woman.

Kagome nodded, tears in her eyes that she refused to allow to fall making their blue color sparkle against her pale skin. "I know," she said softly. "Inuyasha asked you to take me as your mate if anything ever happened to him," she finished softly, much to his surprise. "Although I never understood why you would agree to such a thing, since I'm only human."

He stared at her for several moments as she watched her mate's funeral pyre burn, clutching the completed Shikon no Tama between tense fingers.

"I, also, find myself surprised that you are taking such a request so calmly, miko," he admitted, curious as to why she wasn't shocked and yelling about such a thing even being suggested.

A weary sigh crossed her lips as she turned her head to look at him, the firelight lighting her face fitfully. She studied him for several seconds, and then looked away again.

"Inuyasha loved me, you know. And I loved him, too. But... he wasn't the only one I loved, and he knew that. His request to you was his way of trying to make sure I would have happiness, even without him." She continued to stare at the flames that were slowly beginning to die down. "He could understand my predicament, loving two people, since he had the same problem. But I won't hold you to such a thing, Sesshoumaru, despite my feelings. You are daiyoukai, and a Lord. You need to find yourself a strong mate – a youkai mate, one to give you a strong heir."

For the first time in his life, Sesshoumaru was dumbfounded. Her words were blunt enough... while she'd loved his brother, she apparently also loved _him_. And Inuyasha had known this, and had tried to give her what she wanted, namely him, by getting his brother to agree to mate her after he was gone.

She couldn't have known, of course, that her feelings were reciprocated – he also loved her. But he hadn't figured it out until well after she'd returned from her era for the final time, and already mated Inuyasha.

Apparently, neither of them had been aware that as brothers, as long as all were willing, they could have shared her, and all been happy, together.

His eyes went to the pink jewel she was rolling between her fingers thoughtfully.

"I am still curious as to why you agreed to it in the first place, though. Was it just to placate Inuyasha? I know that you truly didn't hate him as much as you claimed you did..." she trailed off, looking up at him questioningly.

He shifted, settling his armor and swords a bit more comfortably before looking down at her upturned pixie face with a small, soft smile.

"You are correct, Kagome – I did not hate my brother. That is not to say that I did not find him annoying a great deal of the time; however, there was no true rage for him within me." He stopped for a moment, reaching out and running gentle fingers through silky raven locks gleaming redly in the dying fire.

After a moment, he continued speaking. "However, my thoughts on Inuyasha had no bearing on why I chose to accept his request of mating you if he passed on in an untimely manner," he said slowly, his voice a low rumble in the night as he drew shock from the young woman, the same as she had done earlier to him. "Just as you hid love for me in silence, so did I return the feelings – and the silence they were cloaked in. And I have every intention of keeping my word to my brother in claiming you before this night is through."

Wide-eyed, Kagome stared at the gloriously handsome Lord, stunned that her feelings for him were returned – and also that he intended to mate her immediately. "Sesshoumaru... I don't want to do this tonight," she sighed after a few moments to take in everything. "It's... too soon. I wouldn't feel right."

He nodded, even as he began to unclasp and set aside his armor – the other mourners long since gone to their homes back in the village. "Normally, I would agree with you. But this also, did my brother insist I swear to – that I would not wait, mating you immediately his body was returned to the dust we all come from. For whatever reasons, he wanted us mated within hours of his death, and I gave my word. I will not go back on it now."

Shocked, but not knowing what else to do, Kagome simply allowed Sesshoumaru to have his way, one part of her happy to feel this powerful, honorable male loving her, and the other grieving for her lost love, and the fact that he'd loved her enough to wish for her happiness, no matter what that had entailed.

She couldn't help but wish that he was still with her, a thought Sesshoumaru, oddly enough, encouraged, by bringing the fact that they could have shared her up...

Forgotten, the jewel that so many had fought to complete pulsed quietly, the sound unnoticed amongst so many others that were heard that night.

The next morning, however, the jewel's existence was abruptly remembered, when Kagome found herself bound to _two_ mates, rather than just one.

Her newest mate wasn't the least bit surprised...

"I had hoped this would be the outcome," he admitted to a smiling, crying, ecstatically happy Kagome, and an oddly quiet, though happy, Inuyasha. "I knew that she yet held the jewel, and that a wish had not been made. Because she did not realize she was even wishing, she was not worried about choosing something wrongly, and thus, the Tama was able to pick up her true wish with little chance of it being corrupted by the desires of all those in proximity to the Shikon."

Kagome was surprised into silence, even as Inuyasha looked at his brother searchingly. "You were hoping that I would be brought back? Then why did you mate her?" he asked.

Sesshoumaru smirked wickedly at that as he glanced at Kagome, who was waiting breathlessly for his answer. "For her sake, I wished for you to return, Inuyasha – I do not wish to see her unhappy, ever. But... I am also selfish, and I love her as much as you do. This way, you are alive again, still her mate, and she is happy – but I am _also_ her mate, and there is nothing you can do about that. Now, there is no choice – we will have to share her, brother."

Blushing, Kagome looked at Sesshoumaru, and then at Inuyasha, her expression hopeful. From horrible, mind-numbing grief yesterday when he'd died, to happiness marred by grief, finding that her feelings for Sesshoumaru were returned, to absolute joy now that Inuyasha was returned to her, and that she now had both of her loves as mates, her mind was spinning almost dizzyingly.

But...

Inuyasha had been silent since his brother had spoken, and she couldn't help but worry about how he would take this whole thing...

"Inuyasha?" she asked hesitantly, reaching out an uncertain hand towards him, before stopping, not sure her touch would even be welcomed at that point.

And then he smiled at her, and relief flooded her.

"I'm not angry, wench. I'm glad that Sesshoumaru honored his promise to me. I did ask him to do this, after all – I can hardly be pissed that he did what he promised he would." He met his brother's eyes. "Can you handle sharing her?" he asked. "Especially with me?"

Sesshoumaru smirked over at a blushing Kagome, tilting his head to gain his brother's attention, they both let out grins as they noted her embarrassment – and arousal. "I do believe that this 'sharing' might even be fun, Inuyasha," the elder male purred as both began stalking towards a suddenly wary miko.

The hanyou couldn't help but agree as Kagome's scent of arousal deepened even further and she playfully turned and took off into the trees surrounding the village with a sultry smile cast in both her mates directions.

"Looks that way, Sesshoumaru," he said, a tight grin taking over his features as they both bolted after their running female.

Somewhere high in the heavens above, the great Dog General watched his sons with a bemused expression.

"I wanted you two to get along, Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha – but _this_ was not quite what I had in mind!"

After a few moments more of watching them, he turned away, shaking his head. "Whatever works, I suppose," he finally sighed. "At least they won't be killing each other – and there will never be a lack of pups of my blood in the Western Lands – take that, Ryokotsussei!"

~oOo~

A/N: Yes, I wrote a threesome fic, though no lemon. ~shudders~ Take note of it, because I don't think it'll ever happen again. I'm just not into writing that kind of thing. I will occasionally read a threesome pairing if it's well written, but writing one is just not for me.

And yes, in this short, they completed the jewel but never used it, Kagome went home, came back three years later, and mated Inuyasha, all the while still having the jewel.

Amber


End file.
